Microsoft staff use Google search engine!

Of the users originating from Microsoft's domain who reached Hitchcock's site via a search engine, 80 percent came through Google. Only 20 percent used a Microsoft search engine (either MSN's or the Live.com's). More...

And Google folk use Google 100%. IMHO, this is more a reflection on the staff at Microsoft, than the abilities of the engines. Anyone clued up on search engines would know that Yahoo & MSN results are quite similar to Google's, and if you worked for that company, using their search would help you to provide constructive feedback to their search department.

Then again, meta-search engines provide the best results.

Google Checkout is launched

It isn't GBuy, but something very similar to Microsoft Passport (stuck in a rut) and Yahoo Wallet (I thought it was dead, but no). One log in for many purchases. It's a great idea, but if the other two companies couldn't get widestream acceptance, can Google?

Google have upped the ante:

- free transaction processing for Adwords customers ($1 spend gets $10 of transactions for free)

- lots and lots of merchants signed up at launch time

- many $10 off $20+ purchases coupon codes offered

- credit card promotion from Citi

- a Google Checkout symbol to show in qualifying Adwords ads - this will generate demand and advantages - all Adwords merchants will want to join up

All here

Google Desktop 4 (with gadgets)

The gadgets are cool, but on my system these (and other similar offerings, like Yahoo Widgets) slow it down more than they are worth. More on Desktop 4

GeoPortail.fr still down

Launched 4 days ago, and stil not available, according to this message (translated by Google), that appears:

Gate of the territories and the citizens You are very numerous to connect you on the site of Géoportail since its setting on line. This exceptional, consecutive multitude with the launching of the site, involves a saturation of our waiters. We work with the increase in the capacities of calculation of the site, within the framework of the deployment of Géoportail. Géoportail is an innovative project of posting and division of the public data which gradually will go up in power from here the autumn 2007. We thank you for your interest and your patience.

Google Earth not as good as GeoPortail (for France)

www.geoportail.fr supposedly has better images of France than Google Earth. This news was enough to make the site so popular today I couldn't test these claims - but they are certainly true for the time being.

Seattle Engineering Center - creates the good ideas

Google's Seattle-area office (in Kirkland) is responsible for 60% of products shown off at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

The Kirkland office has grown to over 150 staff since it opened less than 2 years ago. They have created Google Maps, Google Video, Google Sitemaps, Google Talk, Google Pack and Google Gadgets. Read more...

Google Answers Censored? More...

Danny Sullivan has posted his thoughts on the topic

Google in Rare Display of Capacity to Err

The code and associated buttons for Google Pack & Google Firefox are/were muddled and spotted by a member of the public. This is the human side of hubris.

Google tests CPA Web ads

CPA ads are now being tested on the Google AdSense network. More...

Firefox Toolbar 2.0

Now includes Safe Browsing, some Gmail integration, enhanced search box, custom layout & feed subscriptions. More here...

Google Answers Censored?

Here is the question : “What percentage of Google searches are contextual?”

And the Google Official response : “We’ve removed your question because you can find the answer on our main site, free of charge.” More...

Well, in my experience, Google folk look carefully at every question at GA that mentions the word "google". This is easy to prove, because such questions are locked instantly.

Is the info available on their site? Without looking, I would venture to guess no. Do they censor such questions? Yes - see Wikipedia for verification:

Google Answers’ policy prohibits the Researchers from answering questions about the following subjects:

* questions whose answers would promote illegal activities (for example, how to make a bomb)
* copyright infringements and violations
* Breach of privacy (for example, private phone numbers, email addresses, etc.)
* Homework assignments
* Questions about Google Answers itself, or about Google policies and mechanisms (PageRank, for example).

Yahoo sued over Google keywords

It's getting a bit boring. It's about time the US Trademark Office added new rules to cover PPC advertising, and make bidding on competitor's trademarks either legit or not...

In the Yahoo! case, JP Enterprises says that Yahoo!, HDVE LLC, Spark Networks and Insight Direct USA are guilty of trade mark dilution and infringement. It claims that anyone typing "www.lovecity.com", "lovecity" or "lovecity.com" into the search engine is presented with adverts on the side of the page detailing the services of the named competing companies.

More...

AdWords Scheduling/Day Parting has arrived!

A new toy for Adwords customers, of which a few will have a valid use for it (and have far more successful ads!), and many will try and say "cool" but then never use again, for lack of need. Forum discussion & screenshots

Beta: Picasa Web Albums

Actually, at this stage it hasn't been deemed worthy of the infamous Google "beta" label. It is currently a "test". Picasa Web Albums are a simple Flickr, and a new income stream for Google. 250MB of photos doesn't go very far, and beyond that you have to pay. I expect this is be VERY popular!

Google's Secret SuperComputer

The internet firm is building a complex the size of two football pitches with cooling towers four floors high on a remote stretch of land in Oregon.

It is thought to house two data centres and thousands of servers that will power the billions of search queries it handles daily, as well as an expanding range of other services.

The clandestine expansion on the 12-hectare site about 130 kilometres east of Portland is considered part of an "arms race" as other online companies vie for Google's crown.

Microsoft and Yahoo have announced they are building big data centres to the north, in Washington State.

More...

Google Buys Their HQ

Google has entered into an agreement to purchase their headquarters (The GooglePlex) for $319 million. Of the $319 million, $10 million was already placed into escrow on June 9. Google is technically buying 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway and 1200-1500 Crittenden Lane, Mountain View, California, about 978,066 square feet of land.

More...

Getting PageRank the Litigious Way

Mark Roberts sued Google for breach of contract when his sites lost ranking.

He represented himself in court and did not hire an attorney.

But Roberts backed down after Google's attorneys threatened to file a "SLAPP" motion against him. California has a strong SLAPP law, which is designed to discourage frivolous lawsuits and permits successful defendants to seek attorneys' fees.

The good news is that he is getting lots of links to his sites from the news reports!

Google Earth updates

From a Google press release:

Satellite imagery update: A significant high-resolution imagery update for Google Earth increases the product's index of high-resolution imagery by four times. This makes sub-meter high-resolution imagery available for more than one third of the world's population. While initially available only in Google Earth, this database will also be accessible in Google Maps shortly.

Google Earth now features a more streamlined user interface and new tools that enable the creation and display of third party and user generated content. The addition of textured buildings brings a new level of realism and detail to Google Earth's 3D world.

AJAX Search API released

Google has released a downloadable beta version of its AJAX Search API, a javascript library that allows webmasters to embed inline Google searches (Web, local, video, and blog) in web pages, blogs, and other applications alongside existing content.

More...

Google to provide electronic TV guides

“You have to look at what an electronic programme guide is. It is just a search engine and that is what Google does best,” said Schmidt.

More...

Firefox synchronization tool released

If you use multiple PCs, and wish them all to have the same bookmarks, cookies and so on... Google is now offering it for free. I can see this being immensely popular, and a brilliant way of getting folk to log into their Google account. More...

Mislead in AdWords - Risk Being Sued

A New Hampshire man has agreed to pay $2000 to settle charges that he misused Microsoft's name to trick consumers into buying ineffective antispyware products...

He ran ads with an advertising link reading "Microsoft AntiSpyware." It was displayed when users searched for terms like "Microsoft spyware cleaner," or "Microsoft antispyware,".

Didn't help that the software he was promoting was spyware itself... More.

Google Spreadsheets coming soon

Google will be making available a test version of a Web-based spreadsheet program. I guess "test" is what "beta" used to be before they used that for finished products :)

The free program, Google Spreadsheets, is still at an experimental stage, but it can read and create files in the Escel format. More...

Ten Products for Google - A Suggestion

Mark Otuteye suggests the following are products Google should consider:

Google TV
Google Recommender
Google BarCode
Google Genetics
Google Storage
Google CrimeBuster
Google Pen
Google Billboards
Google Sing & Draw Search
Google Travel

(some aren't very realistic, but it's a good guess at future possibilities...)

Adwords announces DayParting & Scheduling

Apart from legitimate uses, ad competitors will now be able to engage in sniping - by stealing the top spot for one hour a day, without the opposition realising it...

The new features will allow advertisers to schedule the ads to show on weekends or weekdays only, or on other set days the advertiser specifies. Dayparting is also included allowing advertisers to schedule their ads during specific hours, such as to run late at night or at lunchtime only.

More....

Google CEO - No Browser

Google CEO Eric Schmidt on Wednesday said that his company is unlikely to create its own Web browser. Schmidt said Google sees little need to develop its own browser because most people seem satisfied with Explorer and others such as Firefox, Safari and Opera.

They are missing a HUGE opportunity, and Yahoo are too! If I had to choose between a vanilla Firefox broswer, or a pimped up Yahoo or Google Firefox browser, I'd choose the later. Integrated toolbar, branded skin, automatically logs you in.... One cannot doubt that Firefox would agree to such a thing, and the promotion they could give it from their homepages is immense. Almost every single person that uses the internet uses a browser, and it makes no sense for these two companies not to take this route.

Google / Dell deal

Dell will preload special Google software onto millions of its machines before shipping them to customers.

The Google software, which will be accessible through a side pane of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 Web browser, will allow users to search for files on their computer hard drives as well as for emails.

Google will also place a Web search toolbar on Dell PCs, and a special co-branded Dell/Google Web site will serve as the default home page when users connect to the Internet...

More...